


Chocolate & Vanilla

by HowAboutThatSnapback



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, because even I sometimes write romantic fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 21:02:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11298792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowAboutThatSnapback/pseuds/HowAboutThatSnapback
Summary: Stan’s dead set on winning over the lovely Ember Dawson, but the problem is she’s just as stubborn as he is.





	Chocolate & Vanilla

**Author's Note:**

> My attempt at writing romance.
> 
> Also, thanks to @the-digital-pen and @knightnicole for helping me choose the thing!~  
> And thanks to @sabehedgehog and @kalajorn for allowing me to (kinda) vent over this story.

“You’re goin’ a good job, Soos. I’m proud’ah ya,” Stan says as he looks around the bustling gift shop of the Mystery Shack.

Soos smiles and his eyes begin to water with happy tears. “Do you really mean it, Mr. Pines?”

“Don’t go cryin’ on me, Soos,” Stan says sternly, but smiles over at him. “Yeah, I do.”

Soos throws his arms around his adoptive father and says, “You have no idea how much that means to me, Mr. Pines!”

Stan rolls his eyes in exasperation, but hugs back anyway.

He begins looking for his granddaughter. He soon spots her talking to a beautiful- no- _gorgeous_  woman. She’s a bit shorter than him- he’d place her around 5′8″- and has a pear shaped body with skin the rich color of hazelnut and kinky salt-n-pepper hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her full lips are curved in an easy smile and parted to show off her pearly whites and her amber eyes are amused as she looks at the talkative little girl in front of her.

It’s not just her looks that have him enamored- though that alone could do enough- but it was the way she carried herself: back straight, shoulders back, and head held high, but not in the haughty way that annoys him- no- in the proud way that shows she knows what she’s worth and that she won’t settle for anything less than what she deserves.

“Hey, who’s that talkin’ t’ Ley?” Stan asks while staring at the woman in awe.

“Oh, her? That’s Ms. Dawson- Ember Dawson. She moved to town a while ago and she makes us food and spoils Ley like another grandmother.”

“I intend to make ‘er Ley’s new grandmother,” Stan mutters under his breath while admiring the woman.

“What?” Soo asks, not having understood the words.

“Nothin’,” Stan replies while waving off his former employee. “I’m just gonna go over and say hi.”

“Okay, Mr. Pines,” Soos says- more out of habit than necessity.

Stan takes a breath and fixes himself up a little (he tugs his shirt down just enough to show off some chest hair) then goes over to his granddaughter and the woman he’s set his sights on and cranks up the charm to Mr. Mystery, though being mindful he’s in his fisherman garbs with his beanie in his pocket so he can’t be exactly be as suave as he would be in his suit. He wants to impress this woman and enchant her just as she did him.

“Hello,” he says with a grin as he gets closer.

“Granpa!” Stanley says with a grin and jumps into his arms.

He catches her and hugs her, kissing her cheek fondly. “Hey, princess. How’s my little name thief?”

“Good!” Stanley chirps while cuddling into him.

Stan looks at Ember and if it weren’t for his Mr. Mystery persona being semi-present, he’d have clammed up like a schoolboy- she was even more gorgeous up close. He notices a cute little mole under her right eye on her upper cheek.

“Ley, are you gonna introduce me to your friend?”

Stanley perks up and grins, “Granpa, this is Ms. Dawson. Ms. Dawson, this is my Granpa Stan.”

"Pleasure to meet you,” she says politely with a semi-strained smile- understandable if she’s nervous around him.

Okay, he’s not gonna give himself _that_ much credit, in _social_  interactions with strangers (which he doesn’t intend to be for long). Unfortunately he only has a few days to work his charm before he and his brother set out to sea for three months- more or less.

“So, Ms. Dawson-”

“Just Ember, please,” she says while holding up a hand and he hears the lightest Southern twang to her voice.

“Would you mind staying for dinner? I’d love to get to know you better.”

She grimaces lightly and says, “I’ll have to pass. My nephew and his family are in town and I have to make dinner for them.”

Stan’s shoulders droop a little in disappointment. “Maybe another time.”

“Maybe,” she says and then says to Stanley, “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Stanley says with a grin and hugs the woman.

Stan gets the door for her and says, “Drive safe Ember.”

“Thank you. Have a nice night,” she says with a polite smile as she walks out.

"Fair warning, Mr. Pines,” Wendy says as she walks over to her former boss. “Ms. Dawson’s a hard to get type of women.”

“Hard t’ get,” Stan mutters after she’s walked away. As he close the door he says to himself, “I alway like a challenge.”

* * *

The remainder of their visit, Stan tried his best to grab the attention of Ember, but it was near impossible. She wouldn’t give him the time of day and would keep politely declining any offers he made. On the last night he was desperate and laid out all his charm, but she ended up saying, “Mr. Pines, try all you want, I can see past all that charm. You’re just trying to find some fun and temporary gratification and while I’m flattered, I would prefer you to stop.” It left him speechless (and that was difficult to manage).

Instead of detouring him from wanting to pursue her like she planned, it solidified in his mind that _she’s_  the woman he wants. Unfortunately he and his brother had to leave before he could go about it.

Ford would have to snap him out of daydreams about Ember (what he’d say to her when they get back in the winter (they were making sure they stayed through winter break when Dipper and Mabel got there) and what he’d love to do with her) at least once a day.

“You’re really serious about this woman, aren’t you?” Ford asks over dinner one night a week from their next visit to Gravity Falls.

Stan nods firmly and then he says, “There’s just something about her… I can’t get her out of my head.”

_I haven’t been this bad since Carla…_

“Who knows, maybe she’ll come to like you if you’re persistent,” Ford shrugs as he gently pushes Zeus into the sitting position so he won’t take any of his food. “Sit.”

“Maybe,” Stan murmurs as he gives Shadow a bit of his food.

* * *

Stan had many reasons to be giddy to be back in Gravity Falls. For one, his family will be there and he’s glad of that. He and his brother got loads of presents for everyone and he can’t wait to see their faces when they receive them. The second reason is he has high hopes of running into Ember- the woman that’s been plaguing his mind for months.

“Puppies!” Stanley squeals when she sees the full grown German Shepards being led out of the car.

Zeus’ tail is wagging furiously and he strains against his master’s hold to go see the new people meanwhile Shadow sits calmly by his master’s feet.

“Zeus, sit. _Sit,_ ” Ford orders while pushing his dog’s rear down to try and get the excitable dog to listen and obey.

Soos walks over with his daughter and pets Zeus who eagerly licks his hands. “Hey, Zeus!”

Stanley goes over to Shadow and hugs him. “Hi, Shadow.”

Shadow licks her face and his tail wags happily.

“Hi, Zeus,” Stanley says with a smile, but doesn’t go near the excited dog- she’s not allowed until he’s calmed down and gotten used to his environment since he can be a little rough on the little girl.

Zeus barks thunderously in greeting and strains toward the girl.

Ford looks like he wants to curse in frustration- he just had to have the pup that never grew up, didn’t he?- but instead he lets him get close enough to sniff and get used to her scent.

“So- uh- Soos,” Stan says while carrying a few bags to into the Shack since his brother’s occupied with the dogs and Stanley. “How often does Ms. Dawson come around?”

Soos raises an eyebrow at him and says, “A few times a week. Most of her family live out of town so she visits a lot, though I think she’s gonna come around a lot less since her family’s coming down for Christmas.”

Stan nods. “Alright…”

“Whyyyy?” Soos asks.

“I’m just curious,” Stan shrugs innocently. When Soos gives him an exasperated look- a look he’s seen more often since he’s become a father- he sighs and says, “Well, I’m interested- alright? Don’t go tellin’ Mabel either. I plan on makin’ ‘er your new mama soon.”

Soos looks like he doesn’t know whether to smile and encourage Stan or grimace and ignore the conversation- understandable due to the lecherous grin that stretched across the older man’s face.

“Uhhh, I’m gonna go let Mr. McGucket know you’re here,” Soos says instead and flees from sight after putting the luggage in the guest room..

Soos and Fiddleford have grown close over the years (Stanley calls him Jiji because he watches anime with Soos and that’s what she picked up as meaning “grandpa” (she absolutely avoids “uncle” or “grunkle” at alls costs)) and the mechanic and Ford have become great friends once again. Stan’s learned to tolerate the man more now that he’s sane and has ended up having many decent conversations with him.

“Yeah, you go do that,” Stan says while setting his things on the bed he always ends up claiming when he visits.

_Okay. This time will go better. You’ll manage to woo her this time._

* * *

Those positive thoughts were crushed as she continues to evade him and shoot him down. He’s starting to get desperate and even the kids- well… not kids anymore are they? at 16?- were starting to notice his vain attempts to win the heart of the amber eyed woman. But still, he persists.

She gets along very well with everyone else- it seems. She makes Dipper and Mabel laugh, Melody looks up to her like an aunt, Soos and his grandmother seem to have accepted her into the family, and she’s even made Ford come out of his shell a little. From what he’s seen, she’s just the woman he’s been looking for (and he gave up looking a long time ago). It’s only him she seems to be a bit off with- though he’s the only one actively pursuing her so that’s definitely a factor he should add in.

“Mr. Pines-”

“Please, Ember, call me Stan,” he says.

“Stan,” she says slowly and then continues. “Listen, I’m very flattered, but you’re not my… type.”

Stan’s eyebrow lifts as he begins to put it together little by little and he asks, “And by ‘type’ do you mean type of person or my race?”

"Don’t go doin’ that,” she says. “I don’t care about skin color.”

“Buuut,” he urges.

“I don’t have many good experiences with white men,” she admits and he can tell she means romantically for the most part, but considering the time they grew up in and the fact that she’s from the south…

“Well, I don’t have many good experiences with black women… Let’s work on changing that,” he says with a suave smile that only hints at his insecurities that she’ll turn him down again.

She smiles a little with something in her eyes he hasn’t seen before and says, “You’re awfully cute…”

His shoulders droop and he sighs, “But…”

"You’re also not quite my type in personality either,” she continues and smiles apologetically. “Sorry.”

He stuffs his hands in his pockets and watches her walk away and calls after her. “I’m not gonna give up, y’know?”

She stops and looks over her shoulder at him with a sad smile playing on her lips. “You should.”

“I won’t,” he states firmly- as if it’s a fact. For him it might as well be. “I might even go as far as to say I won’t stop trying until you’re my wife.”

And he isn’t that big on marriage either. He must be set on her.

“You’ll be immortal if you wait that long,” she calls back and then walks away.

He watches her go and feels a smirk play on his lips. “You’ll fall in love with me…”

 _Just like I fell for you,_  he thinks as he sets to walking back home.

* * *

Christmas Day. Stan was walking Shadow through town.

His brother and Zeus were early risers so they went for a walk earlier. After being retired for so many years, Stan’s taken to sleeping in a bit more- at earliest sunrise so he could watch with his brother out at sea- and Shadow was a-okay with sleeping in (lazy dog, but would attack a monster in a heartbeat for him and Ford).

Right now it’s ten something in the morning and he’s walking through the woods near the scattered housing area. He has no need to put Shadow on a leash (unlike with Zeus) so he walks with his hands in his pockets and stays huddled in his jacket.

Suddenly he stops hearing the jingle of Shadow’s collar and he looks to his dog immediately and finds the German Shepard’s eyes locked on a fox several yards away.

“Shadow,” Stan says warningly- he doesn’t like either dog hunting something unless it’s necessary.

The fox takes notice and begins to flee and just as Shadow’s about to dart after it, Stan grabs his collar and brings him back to his side.

“ _No,_ ” Stan says sternly and looks down at the whining German Shepard. “You know better. You’re not hungry, I just fed you.”

Shadow whines quietly and licks his master’s face apologetically to try and get on his good side.

He looks up and finds the fox staring at him and his dog and he sighs and leads his dog away by the collar. “C’mon, boy.”

He sees a house with Ember’s car in the front and he figures this is where he lives.

 _Looks like her relatives aren’t here yet or they’re all out,_  he thinks and takes mental note of this as he keeps walking.

Later that night after all the presents and celebrations were finished at the Shack, he walks Shadow he has Ember’s present in his pocket just in case he runs into her. He finds the house has only has her car in front of it and he frowns a little.

 _Maybe only a few family members came?_ Stan thinks and peers inside from the sidewalk and sees her watching television alone.

“C’mon, Shadow,” he says quietly and makes his way to the front door and knocks, keeping his hand on top of his dog’s head.

It takes a few moments for the door to open and when she opens it, it seems he’s the last person she wants to see. She looks like she’d cried earlier and his heart squeezes sympathetically.

“What’re you doing here?” She asks as she closes the blanket in the front.

“I was walking Shadow,” Stan says while said dog sniffs at her. “And I noticed there weren’t any other cars here so I figured I’d come and give you a present.”

She blinks in surprise. “You got me a present?”

“Yeah,” he nods and holds out a rectangular box wrapped in bright red paper that has Santa stuck in a chimney (Mabel wrapped it for him because neither he nor Ford can wrap to save their lives).

She smiles at the sight of the wrapping paper and then notices Stan’s light shivering. “C’mon in. Don’t want you catching a cold.”

He smiles gratefully and brings Shadow with him. “You’re not allergic to dogs are you?”

“No, you’re fine,” she says and leads him to her kitchen- it’s clean and full of nice, warm browns and white. It feels homey. “Do you want some hot chocolate?”

“If you don’t mind makin’ it,” he says as he puts his jacket on the back of the chair he’s chosen to be his seat.

Ember smiles in amusement. “I like your sweater.”

He looks down and blushes in embarrassment at the realization he’s showing off his sweater that his niece gave him that’s red with the words “Grunkle Hunkle” on the front in black (she insisted it’d help him with the ladies).

“Er, my niece made this for me,” he grumbles while playing with the material at the hem of his shirt.

“It’s cute,” she says while returning her attention to the hot chocolate she’s making for them.

 _Is she flirting?_  He wonders with a bit of hope inside of him.

He looks around and looks at a picture of her holding a very red baby in her arms while sitting in a rocking chair. “Yours?”

She looks up after starting the microwave and shakes her head with a fond smile. “No, he’s my nephew.”

“Wha’s his name?” Stan asks.

“Cameron,” she replies and then takes out the mugs and stirs the mix. When she sets the mug in front of him she says, “I hope you don’t mind I added a little mint to it. You’re not allergic are you?”

“No, you’re fine. Thank you,” he says while taking the mug of hot chocolate and taking a sip. “Not bad.”

“Thank you,” she says as she sits down.

“So- uh… have a nice Christmas?”

“It was… fine,” she says while avoiding eye contact and occupying herself with petting Shadow whose chin rests in her lap.

He knows better- fine never means what it’s supposed to mean with women (even with Mabel when she was young).

“Wanna talk about it?”

Her amber gaze looks up at him through her eyelashes and he waits in anticipation for anything. She could do anything from kick him out to _actually_  talking about her problems.

"Not really,” she says and turns her gaze back to Shadow who licks at her hand in what looks to be a comforting manner.

He nods and takes to nursing his hot chocolate before his eyes land on the present he got her resting untouched near her hand. “Uh… how’s about we open presents?”

“We?” She asks incredulously while lifting an eyebrow. “But I didn’t get you anything.”

“Well… _you_  open _your_  present,” he corrects nervously.

“I dunno… should I,” she asks his dog and his tail wags lightly. “I guess that’s a yes.”

Stan leans forward in nervous anticipation- he can’t even lift the mug from the table, he’s so jittery.

She opens it and there’s a velvet box that can only contain jewelry. She opens it and her eyes widen with surprise.

“Did… did you make this?”

It’s a hand carved wooden anchor hanging off of thick cord that shouldn’t break easily. He’s worked on it for a while with her in mind and made a lot of practice anchors until he was satisfied.

“Yeah… do you like it?”

“Yes, I do,” she says softly and then looks at him in confusion. “Why an anchor?”

He smiles and says, “Because I want you to be my anchor.”

 _Is that… blush?_  He thinks excitedly with a satisfied grin on his face.

“Stanley,” she says quietly. “You hardly know me.”

“I know enough- you learn a lot about people in observing from a distance,” he says.

It was a skill he picked up quickly in his first year on the streets and it’s only improved over the years.

“Then what’s my favorite color?”

“Dark green- even if you don’t wear it often, you stare at the color a lot,” he answers.

“Alright,” she says slowly, looking minorly frustrated he knew that. “What type of music do I listen to?”

“Mostly Motown- I’ve heard you humming it. Your favorite group is The Temptations and your favorite song by then is _[Ain’t Too Proud t’ Beg](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcrWSG6liT5Y&t=MWEwMjlmMDQ3MDI5M2JlYTAwZjA4ZGMyODBjMzQ1NjhhOWNjZmNmOSxtTXIzZGNnMg%3D%3D&b=t%3A72koZrb10AyaFuHkgboMXQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Fsnapback-gravity-falls.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F141676416876%2Fchocolate-vanilla&m=1)_ \- you hum it a lot when you’re cleaning- but your favorite song isn’t by them- it’s [_As_  by Stevie Wonder](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKWhMyOs0pCQ&t=ODY3NzVjNTNlMGJlYzE5M2RlMzY1ZThkYTM1OGUyYzdkYTM3MjE0YSxtTXIzZGNnMg%3D%3D&b=t%3A72koZrb10AyaFuHkgboMXQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Fsnapback-gravity-falls.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F141676416876%2Fchocolate-vanilla&m=1)\- and before you ask, I heard you telling Stanley that when she was interviewing you,” he says, observing her face as he speaks. “You’re a closet romantic by the sound of it. You want someone, but you don’t _need_  someone and you want someone that knows that.”

She seems very impressed. “Alright… I’ll give you that… but you’re still pretty blind.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Then enlighten me.”

“You’ve only scratched the surface. You hardly know anything about my family or me. How do you know I’m not dangerous? Secretly a serial killer? How do you know I’m not plotting to kill you now?”

“I’ve faced a lot of dangerous things,” he says and smirks with an amusement twinkling in his eyes. “And you wouldn’t be the first woman to try and kill me. I think I’ll take my chances.”

Surprise flickers in her eyes as he says this. Like she had expected something else to come out of his mouth.

She straightens up in her chair and pets Shadow when he nudges her hand. “You’re a persistent one- I’ll give you that.”

Her eyes look at the necklace he made for her and he can see the wheels turning in her eyes.

“Even if you don’t return my feelings… will you at least wear it? As a- uh- a sign of friendship at least,” he says, nervously tapping at the mug.

Ember takes several moments of thought before she nods and puts it on. “Alright… I won’t take it off.”

Stan smiles and says, “Thanks.”

Before much else can be said his phone rings in his pocket and he jumps in surprise. He pulls it out of his pocket and finds the number to be Ford’s and with an apologetic smile he gets up and goes into the hall to answer.

“Hello?”

 _“Where the_ hell _are you?!”_

Stan winces and brings the phone away from his ear before pressing it back against his face and saying, “I ended up running into a friend. I’m on my way back now.”

A sigh. _“Alright. You’ve got twenty minutes before we go out searching for you.”_

“Yeah, yeah. See you then,” Stan says and then hangs up and places his phone back in his pocket and walks back in the kitchen with a regretful look on his face. “Looks like I’ve gotta head out. Thanks for the hot coffee and the present.”

“Present?” She asks.

“Your time,” he replies with a genuine smile. “You could’ve kicked me out but you didn’t. Thanks for that.”

“Oh, then… you’re welcome,” she says and then helps him into his coat.

“C’mon, Shadow, time t’ go home,” Stan says while patting his leg twice and the dog trots to his side. He pauses at the stairs with thought and turns around. “Hey, Ember?”

“Hm?” She hums, eyebrows shooting up curiously.

“Did I make your Christmas better?”

She smiles softly at him with something akin to warmth in her eyes. “Yes… you made it nice.”

Stan gives her a boyish grin and says, “Well, I’ll be off. Have a nice night.”

“You, too. Stay safe,” she replies and then closes the door.

Stan walks with Shadow all the way back to the Shack with a proud grin and when asked what’s got him so happy he merely says, “It was a nice walk.”

* * *

Interactions after that were a bit more successful and he was beaming all day the first day he saw her wearing his necklace a few days after Christmas. Ford noticed and congratulated his brother in private over the small victory (Stan’s convinced he’s wearing her down). She still turned him down, but she seemed more willing to talk and interact with him and he was ecstatic about it.

And then Stan and Ford had to take off again- much to Stan’s displeasure.

And then the kids’ spring break came up and he got excited once again.

As much as he loves being out at sea with his brother, sometimes his old bones ache for dry land and his heart sometimes aches for Gravity Falls- his home for thirty years.

Sometimes he thinks his brother feels the same way because he notices that Ford also seems to love being around the forests- especially the ones that are like the ones back in Gravity Falls. He’s just as glad to be back in Gravity Falls as Stan is.

The reunion with the family was joyous as always, but the focus here is on Stan and Ember.

The first time he sees Ember she looks beyond relieved to see both men alive and well. Stan- on the other hand- is over the moon to see her still wearing the necklace.

Melody’s told him that she never takes it off and plays with it absentmindedly all the time and sometimes stares at it and more times than not when she stares at it there’s a smile on her lips. That information is more than enough to encourage him to keep trying to win her heart despite all the times she turns him down.

And then that day came.

* * *

Stan’s taking a stroll by himself- he’s left Shadow at home since he doesn’t need the walk at the moment. It was peaceful at first- most of his walks were… but this time it was different.

He shivers at the feeling of being watched and he runs a hand through his silver locks. _Calm down, Stan. Creatures here are friendly._

Or at least some of them are.

There were still plenty of creatures that didn’t care for humans. The gnomes, manotaurs, unicorns, and the Multibear were all on good terms with the humans, but as for the rest? They ended up going about humans the same as before.

Stan freezes when he hears snuffling and grunting and looks around. Several yards away he sees a large boar- probably separated from the group- looking ready to charge at him.

Then there was the natural wildlife like this. They avoided humans, but sometimes attacked them anyway. Like today apparently.

The boar begins to charge and Stan waits until it’s only a short distance from him to lurch to the side and take off running. He tries to find a tree with low branches that he can climb, but there seems to be none.

The hair on the back of his neck rise and he instinctively dives to the right and rolls back to his feet- _holy Moses_ , he’s gonna regret that in the morning. He can’t stop- if he stops who knows what’ll happen.

 _The one time I don’t have my knife or something,_  he thinks as he notices a ravine with a tree growing from it with branches that he’d be able to jump up to. If he can make that jump, he’ll be scot-free… but if not he’ll end up in the hospital at best.

As a man of risk, he dodges the boar once again and doesn’t hesitate in running to the ravine. He can’t have any hesitation, he has to trust his old bones to do what would be easier for his thirty year old self to do. He makes the leap and reaches out and grabs a branch successfully and pulls himself up.

He hears the boar still charging and he scrambles to get up on a higher branch so it won’t ram into him when it falls.

Suddenly there’s a loud bang and a thump. He hears the boar scramble to get away. He turns his gaze to figure out who or what saved him and he blind in surprise to find a fox standing there growling after the boar.

 _Is that the same one I kept Shadow from?_  He wonders and suddenly notices something dangling from it’s neck. _Wait, is that?…_

Suddenly the branches give out from under him and he lets out a shout of surprise and crashes through a few weak branches before he lands on a solid branch with a loud thump.

His vision swims a bit and he barely has the energy to keep his arms around the branch to keep from falling the rest of the way.

“Stan!”

“Ember?” he groans. _I must be hallucinating._

His grip slips and he cries out in terror as be begins falling backwards, but suddenly something grabs him by the shirt and he looks up and finds Ember crouching on a branch barefoot in nothing but a sports bra and her underwear holding him up with one arm and nails- no _claws_  digging into the trunk of the tree to keep herself up. There are a lot of scars old scars all over her body 

When it registers she’s pretty much naked, his face goes aflame. “Meep…”

He shakes his head and looks away. _Don’t stare._

“Are you okay?” Ember asks.

“Y-yeah,” he stutters.

He hears her sigh in what could only be relief and she begins climbing down carefully and when they get to the bottom he’s set on his feet and she drops in front of him.

He takes off his jacket and holds it out to her without looking at her. “Uh, here.”

As much as he’d love to sit there and stare, it’s a bit chilly outside and it wouldn’t do her any good to stand there like that.

“Thanks,” she mutters and takes it, putting it on and zipping it up. “Okay, you can look.”

He looks back at her and- of course- his jacket’s a little big and ends at her upper thighs. This time he’s sure she’s blushing- even with her dark skin.

“Thanks for saving me,” he says.

“Welcome,” she mutters as one sleeve falls to cover her hand much to her irritation. As she attempts to roll up the sleeves she says, “You’ve probably got a lot of questions.”

Upon seeing her struggle with rolling up the sleeve, he steps forward and says, “Here, let me get it…. and yes, I do have a few questions. Mind if I ask?”

As he unrolls the sleeve she failed to do properly she sighs. “Fire away.”

“What are you?” Stan asks as he rolls up the first one. He notes some scars on her arms and he wonders why he hasn’t noticed them before- perhaps some sort of glamour?

“A kitsune,” she replies. “A-”

“Fox,” Stan nods while moving onto the next sleeve. “And I know a bit about what they say about kitsunes, but since I’ve never met one I never knew if that was true.”

“You’re… not freaked out?”

He finishes the second sleeve and smiles a bit. “Hun, this is Gravity Falls. I lived here for thirty years, went on a date with a spider-person that tried to turn me into a mummy and eat me- granted I didn’t know what she was until she started spinning her web around me- and I travel around the world with my nerd brother fighting anomalies… I’m not gonna freak out unless ya try t’ kill me.”

She smiles a little and says, “You’re an interesting man, y’know?”

“So I’ve been told,” he says with a smirk. “Y’know, you look cute as a fox.”

“Now you’re just tryin’ ta make me blush,” she grumbles with her accent becoming a little thicker.

“Maybe I am,” he teases and then asks, “So- uh- do you age like normal humans orrr…”

“No… I’m actually one hundred and twelve,” she answers. “Kind of a reason to avoid dating.”

He slowly says, “So when you said you don’t have a lot of good experiences with white men…”

He can’t bring himself to finish it, but luckily he doesn’t need to.

“Yes,” she mutters, looking away from him and her fingers brushing against the scars on her arms.

“Alright, so I guess I should walk you home.”

“Oh, there’s no need to do that.”

“No, I insist,” he says.

“There’s _really_  no need, I can bend time and space,” she says. “Not extensively, but enough that no one sees me… indecent.”

“Oh, alright,” he nods and internally grimaces at the stiffness in his neck.

Her nose twitches lightly and she frowns. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Just a few bumps and bruises,” he assures.

She doesn’t seem to believe him and her eyes widen. “Your leg’s bleeding.”

He looks down and finds his one right leg _is_  bleeding and his pant leg is soaked with blood. “ _Shit…_ ”

She- and he cannot let anyone know this ever- picks him up bridal style and starts carrying him through the woods.

He blushes and hides his face in his hand so she won’t see, but judging by her laughter she’s already seen it.

“Y’know, you’re kinda cute when you’re shy,” she says playfully.

“Now you’re just tryin’ t’ make me blush,” he grumbles.

* * *

Ember had patched him up and offered to clean his pants and he thanked her and let her take them so now he sits in his boxers and a t-shirt in her living room with his leg propped up on a pillow.

Ember walks out in sweatpants and a dark gray t-shirt and sits in the chair near his feet so he can see her. Her scars are gone- he figures she’s using some sort of glamour so that he won’t be able to see them. She sits there awkwardly and he can see that she wants to ask him something, but she seems to not know if she should ask.

“Go ahead and ask,” he says.

She blinks as if surprised he could read her so easily. After over forty years of having to read people, he outta be damn good at it.

She shakes her head and asks, “Are you still… interested?”

Stan raises an eyebrow. “What makes you ask that?”

“Well, I don’t think dating a fox is of interest to any human. I was wondering if you’d stop all the flirting and pursuing and stuff,” she elaborates.

He smiles softly at her and speaks with sincerity. “Hun… you’re sweet, you’re funny, you’re strong and independent, and you get my socially awkward brother who clams up around any gorgeous woman like yourself out of his shell… I don’t care _what_  you are at this point. All I know is I want you t’ give me a chance.”

She seems _genuinely_  shocked as he speaks.

It takes a while for her to answer, but when she does she has a small, but genuine smile on her lips and her fingers are holding the necklace he made her. “Alright…”

Stan blinks and sits up. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard that right.”

Ember rolls her eyes in exasperation. “I said I’ll give you a chance.”

Stan grins like a kid that got exactly what they asked for for Christmas from Santa. “And here I thought I was gonna have’ta sing  _Ain’t Too Proud t’ Beg_  and _As_ in front of the whole town t’ ya for those words.”

She laughs and puts one hand to her face at the image of him on stage singing the songs and even sliding to his knees in front of her on _Ain’t Too Proud To Beg_. He’d probably have the stage performance down, but as for his singing…

“I’ve heard your singing voice, that would’ve made me say no in a heartbeat,” she jokes.

“C’mon, I’d be singing in front of people knowing I sound terrible. You’ve gotta give me point for that,” he defends with a laugh.

“I suppose.”

 _Hard t’ get, but… worth it,_  Stan thinks as he laughs with her.


End file.
